Sunnyvale Officer Sets World Record In Power Lifting

SUNNYVALE (KCBS RADIO) - Cops and firefighters are usually in pretty good shape, but there's one officer in Sunnyvale that bad guys definitely won't want to mess with. As KCBS Radio's Matt Bigler reports he just set a world record in power weight lifting.

Sunnyvale is one of the only cities in the U.S. where cops are firefighters as well. Public safety officer Andrew Herbert also has another talent. He is a competitive power lifter.

At a competition in San Diego this month, Herbert set a world record. 910 pounds in a single raw squat.

"Well I'm happy with getting it," Herbert said. "I was disappointed, honestly, that I didn't break it by more. Because I felt like I had more in me,"

He'll try again in his home gym in Mountain View later this year. In the meantime, the 36 year-old says strength and size have their uses in law enforcement.

"I guess I don't get physically challenged as often by people." Herbert said. But in firefighting, he says "The ladders are pretty heavy. It requires a decent amount of strength to properly, what's called 'throw the ladder'."

Even though he can lift nearly a half ton, Herbert says he's not quite a "human jaws of life."